Seeking once more the Lord's
help to grant me the words to speak to you this evening, I'd
like to direct your thoughts to the chapter that we read together,
Luke 18, and the text you'll find in verse 13. And the publican,
standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto
heaven, but smote on his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me,
a sinner. I'm sure we are all well acquainted
with this parable of the Lord Jesus Christ and how he sets
before us two types of people, two types of believers. one a Pharisee and the other
a tax collector. We know in the days of Christ
the tax collector was seen as a wicked person, somebody who
was not to be trusted, a great sinner. We could say someone
who had rejected the nation of Israel to to work with the Roman
government and so they were a despised people. We know that Matthew
the Apostle, Levi, was a tax collector and he left all and
he followed the Lord Jesus Christ and so the Lord Jesus gives us
a great divide between two types of people. The Pharisee, the extremely religious
person at one end and then a great outward sinner at the other end
and he gives us an insight really into their hearts. One, the Pharisee
who we would think would be the one who would be accepted by
God is rejected by God and the one who we would think outwardly
would be rejected by God is the one who is accepted by God. And Jesus tells us in verse 14
that the reason is this, that one exalts himself and the other
humbled himself. The Pharisee came to the throne
of grace full of pride. and the tax collector came to
the throne of grace with humility and in need of mercy. This morning we looked at the
compassionate Christ, how he was moved with compassion to
the external sufferings of the people that he was mixing with. He was full of sympathy and even
so much as to weep at the grave of Lazarus and then to heal those
who had leprosy and also to feed the 5,000. He was moved to compassion
and he taught those who were as sheep without a shepherd. He sought to instil in them the
word of God that they would be guided and gathered together
and we saw that not only did he deal with the external sufferings
of people but he also was moved with a greater sense of compassion
to come down from heaven to earth. He went from the manger to the
cross and from the cross to the grave and then from the grave
he ascended up to the right hand of the father and now acts as
our great high priest and he is still touched. The scripture
tells us he is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. And so we saw then that Christ
is sympathetic to the needs of his people having been able to
walk through the pathway housed in a human body that each and
every one of us walks through. And this publican pleads this
compassion. He comes to the throne of grace
and he comes to the throne of grace knowing that God is a compassionate
God. He comes there asking for mercy. We know that mercy is God not
doing what we deserve to have done to us. It comes from an
understanding that we don't deserve anything from God. And so we
come asking for mercy, we come asking that God would deal with
us in a way which we do not deserve. We know that grace is God giving
us what we don't deserve and mercy is God not giving us what
we do deserve. And so the publican comes to
the throne of grace, comes to the temple to plead with God,
asking for mercy, says, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Hebrews we looked at this morning. Hebrews chapter 4 it tells us
there that for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched
with the feelings of our infirmities but was in all points tempted
as we are yet without sin. So as he comes to the throne
of grace and he has that great high priest to intercede for
him, the one who is compassionate, who understands the human needs
that each one is passing through, He comes to a God who is revealed
to us in the scripture as a God of love, a God of mercy, whose
arm is stretched out in mercy to those who seek him. Those
who seek him, the scripture says, will find him if we seek him
with all of our hearts. And so he comes to a He comes to the throne of grace
pleading with a compassionate God, asking for mercy, coming
through a great high priest who is the Lord Jesus Christ, who
is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. This morning
I mentioned that Christ is the very image of the invisible God
and so what we see in Christ, all the behaviours of the Lord
Jesus Christ, all the attributes of the Lord Jesus Christ, the
way that he dealt with every single person that he met with
and what we read about him in the scriptures is like us viewing
God himself God and Christ and the Holy Spirit they are one
and they do not possess different attributes than each other and
sometimes God is portrayed as being really really angry all
of the time. The scripture tells us that God
is a God of love and Yes he is angry and he's angry with the
wicked every day but he's given to us the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ which is his hands stretched forth in mercy saying
turn from your sin and live. And as we read all about the
Lord Jesus Christ we are seeing the very image of the invisible
God. Colossians chapter 1 tells us
in chapter 1 verse 14 it says in whom we have redemption through
his blood even the forgiveness of sins who is the image of the
invisible God the first born of every creature the image of
the invisible God 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 3 it says
but if our gospel be hid It is hid to them that are lost, in
whom the God of this world, which is Satan, hath blinded the minds
of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel
of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves,
but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus'
sake. And then in Hebrews chapter 1
and verse 3 it is the same. Who being the brightness of his
glory, the expressed image of his person, and upholding all
things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged
our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high,
who being the brightness of his glory and the expressed image
of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his
power. And so as we see Christ revealed
to us in the scriptures, we are seeing the expressed image of
the invisible God, all that Christ is, is all that God is, and all
that the Holy Spirit is. God is a God of mercy, a God
of compassion. He is long-suffering. And the
Pharisee who is a sinner and confesses that he is a sinner
comes to the throne of grace seeking for mercy from a merciful
God. In the book of Lamentations as Jeremiah had prophesied to
the children of Israel and as he had witnessed the destruction
of Jerusalem and the people of Israel being taken off into Babylon
and the city of Jerusalem wasted completely. He writes the lamentations
as he considers all that has taken place that the children
of Israel rejected the word of God. and as the city lies waste
Jeremiah weeps over the city and in chapter 3 it tells us
in verse 22 it says, it is of the Lord's mercies that we are
not consumed because his compassions fail not. They are new every
morning. Great is thy faithfulness. You see, God had every right
to completely wipe the children of Israel off the face of the
earth for their rejection of his word and his prophets. Yet
because he is a covenant-keeping God, he kept them. Although he
sent them off into Babylon, Jeremiah understands that God is a God
of mercy. And he says it's of God's mercy
that we have not been consumed completely. Why? Because his
compassions, they fail not, they are new. Every morning great
that is thy faithfulness, that God is faithful. to his people. He does not deal with them as
they deserve to be dealt with. They are not consumed every time
they sin or every time they go wayward, every time they disobey,
every time they have a lack of faith, every time they listen
to the temptations of Satan. He doesn't wipe them off the
face of the earth but he remembers his covenant with them in Christ
Jesus and he is compassionate to them. and he remembers mercy. It is of the Lord's mercies that
we are not consumed. And that's why the publican could
come to God and say, do not deal with me as I deserve to be dealt
with, but remember mercy. Deal with me in a merciful way. Do not deal with me according
to my sin, but look upon me in mercy. A compassionate person is drawn
to those who need compassion. If you are hard-hearted it would
be very unwise for you to go and be a nurse or a doctor. Normally compassionate people
take up a job in which they can be compassionate. They can show
compassion and sympathy. And they like to be around those
that they can help and assist. And a hard-hearted person doesn't
take up those types of employments. But those people who need sympathy
go to those who are compassionate. They are drawn together. And
God is a God of compassion and is a God of sympathy. And that
is why the tax collector felt able to come to the throne of
grace, to come to a compassionate God. And our God, He is near. He is
near to those who need compassion, to those who need mercy. Remember David. King David in his prayer in Psalm
51 and verse 1 he says, have mercy on me, O God. According to thy loving kindness,
according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out
my transgression. What did he plead for? He didn't
plead for judgment. He asked for God's mercy. He understood he deserved judgment. He understood he deserved God's
anger. He understood he deserved punishment. But he pleads that God would
be merciful to him. Don't deal with me, please, as
I deserve to be dealt with, but have mercy upon me according
to thy loving kindness. according to the multitude of
thy tender mercies blot out my transgression. You see he saw
and he knew himself to have sinned against God. He knew that. And he knew that he deserved
God's wrath. And he knew he deserved God to
blot him out. But he says please remember mercy. In verse 17 it says the sacrifices
of God are a broken spirit and a broken and a contrite or a
repentant heart. Oh God thou will not despise. Surely that is the language isn't
it? That is the language of somebody who is broken. Someone who sees
their sin. Someone who understands that
they would like God to deal with them in a merciful way is somebody
who has a broken spirit and a repentant heart. Someone who is in that
condition. The condition of knowing their
sin is brought to feel their need of God's mercy. They understand that they have
sinned against God and that knowledge of their sin causes them to turn
from that sin to Christ or to God and to ask for mercy. David knew, he says, against
thee and thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight.
Sin is against God because God is the law maker and therefore
you have to come to him. because he is the one that is
able to deliver the judgement or he is the one who is able
to deliver mercy. And so David comes to God asking
for mercy. The publican comes to God asking
for mercy. If you go back to Hebrews again verse chapter 4 and verse 16
it says, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace
that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in times of
need. That we may find mercy Where
is Christ? Christ is seated at the throne
of grace in the holy of holies at the right hand of God, the
great high priest. And we don't come as the Pharisee
comes, boasting about himself, telling God how great he is. In fact, the Bible says he prayed
with himself. He didn't even reach God. He
was so full of pride and arrogance and self-righteousness that his
prayer was just like a lead weight that dropped to the floor and
never ascended up into heaven. I thank thee that I'm not as
other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as
this tax collector. I fast. I give tithes of all
that I possess. It's all about him. He didn't
need a throne of grace. He didn't need a throne of mercy
because he was self-righteous. But the tax collector, the outward
sinner understood that he was sinful and that he needed a throne
of grace and he needed a great high priest and he needed mercy. And he came to the mercy seat. In Isaiah 57, it tells us there of something
about God. You see as we see that those
who are merciful and compassionate seek out those with whom they
can act out that love and compassion. So God seeks out such that are
of a broken and a contrite heart. Isaiah 57 and verse 14. For thus saith the high and lofty
one, that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy. I dwell in
the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite
and a humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and
to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Contrite being repentant. And so the high and lofty God
does not dwell with the high and lofty Pharisee. does not dwell with those who
are filled with pride and self-righteousness but he dwells with those who
are of a broken and a contrite spirit who need his mercy. And so we can say that this humble
tax collector who could not even lift up his eyes towards heaven
but smote on his chest saying God be merciful to me a sinner
he drew down this great God from heaven the high and lofty one
the high and lofty God stooped down from his high and holy place
to interact with this repentant sinner, this tax collector. Normally in our society the well-to-do
mix with the well-to-do but not with our God. Our holy, holy,
holy God who dwells in all eternity, the high and lofty place, when
he sees a sinner upon his knees, descends from his high and holy
place and dwells with that one, for it's him himself who has
put them on their knees and shown them their need of himself. He
stoops down from his high and lofty place and the scripture
says that this man went to his house justified. The Pharisee, his prayer was
rejected. He prayed within himself. He
was full of himself. We know that the Pharisees were
externally a religious people. The Apostle Paul was once a Pharisee
and thought much of their religion. They were proud, a proud people. And here we see what went on
within their hearts. How much they thought about themselves
and how much they despised other people, it says. Pharisee stood
and prayed thus with himself. He says, God I thank thee that
I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust adulterers, or even as
this tax collector. He had no need of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He thought within himself, I
am good enough God will accept me for who I am. I have done
this. I've done that. I haven't done
this. I haven't done that. And so God is going to be pleased
with me because of who I am. I don't need a righteousness
outside of myself. I am righteous. And therefore
God is going to listen to me because I am good enough. I've
done everything right. But his prayer never reached
beyond the roof. As I said, it dropped like a
lead weight to the floor and it never manifested any fruit,
only criticism from the Lord Jesus Christ. He had no need
of a great high priest. He had no need of the mercy seat. He had no need of the blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ who cleanses him from all sin to him. He was
okay. there are so many people who
are like this. Those who are still walking in
the darkness are like this. They have no need of Christ.
To them it's foolishness and yet he is the only way, the only
hope of a sinner. But the tax collector His prayer
was accepted by God and his prayer was answered by God and he received
the mercy that he requested. And we see his character, how
he was in contrasting with the Pharisee who was proud. We see a man who was humble,
standing afar off, We know that the temple was divided, as we
have seen before, into different sections. And he would not have
been allowed into the inner section, but would have been in the court
maybe of the Gentiles. And even then, it's like Jesus
is saying, he stood as far away as possible in a quiet corner
as not to be seen. I read also that people tried
to space themselves out so when they prayed publicly to God and
they confessed their sins that people couldn't listen to what
they were saying. But it seems that this man, Jesus
in his parable says he's right over in the corner. He kept himself
away from everybody else. He was so ashamed. He didn't
want anybody else to hear but he knew that he could communicate
with God because God is a God of mercy and a God of love and
he inclines his ear unto such who cry unto him with a humble
and a broken heart. So he was ashamed. He stood afar
off. Does our sin make us ashamed? We've said before, haven't we,
if our thoughts were projected on the wall, how ashamed we would
be. Yet God knows our thoughts. He
knows our sins. He sees us afar off. We are open
before him. He knows the intents of our hearts
and our motives and all things are laid bare before him. And
even David said, didn't he, that he would rather fall into the
hands of God than into the hands of man because God is merciful. And so he stood afar off. Also
he was humble. He would not lift up so much
as his eyes to heaven. He bowed his head. in the corner,
bowing his head, ashamed of his sin and not with a boastful bone
in his body seeking mercy from God. He knew the root of his
sin, he smoked on his chest. He knew that, as it were, all
sin comes from within. And he beat, as it were, beat
his chest in annoyance that his heart needed to be changed, needed
to be cracked open by the Spirit of God. He beat on his chest
in almost embarrassment for the sins that he had committed. But he also knew who he had sinned
against. Like David, David said, against
thee. and thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight.
He says God be merciful to me a sinner. He knew that it wasn't
the priest that could help him, it wasn't his friend that could
help him, it wasn't the pastor that could help him or his husband
or his wife or his mother or father, it was God. He had sinned
against God and God was the only one who could help him. God was
the only one who could show him mercy because God was going to
judge him at the time of his death and so he needed to come
before that time. Today he thought is the day of
salvation. Today I've got to settle this
matter with God. Today I've got to find mercy. And so he comes to God and he
asks God please be merciful to me.' He knew that he had sinned
against God. God is the lawgiver as I've said
already and sin is rebellion against God, it's stepping over
the line that God has said, thus far and no further. And yet our
sinful nature says we don't care, we're doing what we want to do
but oh that grace may shine in our hearts, the love of Christ
may shine in our hearts, that we may see that we have stepped
over the line and that we have rebelled just like this tax collector
and that we're in need of mercy. And he knew it was only God who
could forgive him. It was only God. Some believe,
don't they, that priests can offer forgiveness. Some believe
that by doing certain acts then our sins can be reduced and some
believe that if we do good works it can counterbalance the bad
things that we do and by the time we're dead hopefully it
can be equal and God will accept us but it's rubbish. Not according to scripture. There
is no other way that a person may be saved other than finding
mercy through the Lord Jesus Christ, other than God forgiving
sin through the Lord Jesus Christ as our great substitute. And this publican, this tax collector
says I've got to go to God. I've got to settle this thing
with God. I've got to find a mercy because
God is a merciful God and he says today I'm going to seek
him and today I'm going to find him and today I'm going to pray
to him and ask for forgiveness. And his prayer was answered. I tell you that this man went
down to his house justified rather than the other. Why? For everyone that exalts himself
shall be abased. The Pharisee exalted himself.
He didn't need God's grace. He thought, I don't need God's
mercy. I'm good enough. I'm suitable.
But he was full of pride. everyone that humbles himself
shall be exalted. You see as this man as it were
fell down on his knees before God asking for mercy God lifts
him up and says your prayer is answered you are now justified
in the sight of a holy God We know that through the finished
work of the Lord Jesus Christ as God poured out his wrath upon
his son for the sins of his people he cancelled out every sin that
every one of his children would ever commit. And therefore the
slate that records our sin is wiped clean. Pharisee wasn't
worried about that. He thought his slate was clean
enough but the tax collector knew that his slate was stained
with millions and millions of sins therefore he asked for forgiveness
and God says in Christ Jesus I forgive you, I cancel your
sin, there is none to be found. And Romans 4 tells us was delivered
for our offences and was raised again for our justification,
therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ.' Justified. Sin wiped out. A legal term to say that the
debt is paid the slate is clear, the account is wiped clean, back
to zero, there is no more sin. This man went down to his house
justified rather than the other. Now that is the greatest answer
to prayer that anyone will ever receive in this life. All of your sin be forgiven in
Christ Jesus and remembered no more. The scripture tells us
doesn't it that your sins will be cast behind his back into
the depths of the sea and remembered no more. Which one then are we? Are we the Pharisee or are we
the tax collector? Do we come to God believing that
we're good enough and deserving answers to prayer or do we come
to him asking him for mercy knowing that we are a sinner? You see
if you're rightly taught of God by his spirit you will know that
you don't deserve to come to him but you have no option but
to come whom else can we go as they say thou of the words of
eternal life. You have to come. You have to
come to the throne of grace that you may obtain mercy and the
mercy is only to be found in Christ Jesus and our prayer is
God be merciful to me a sinner. The other day at the prayer meetings
I was speaking about Jesus Christ being the door, the doorway to
the narrow way that leads to life. And I said that each of
us are well aware of passwords. We have passwords on our phones
and some people have passwords on their key codes on their doors
to enable them to get in. Well this is the password. to eternal life. If the Spirit
of God teaches us this prayer, God be merciful to me a sinner,
the gate of the narrow way that leads to life will swing open
and you will be able to enter in and you will go on your way
justified on the narrow way that leads to life, not because of
yourself because of Christ Jesus. Jesus only can do helpless sinners
good. God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you this man went to his
house justified rather than the other. Well may God give us each
that felt need of his mercy that we may plead at the throne of
grace for it and receive the most blessed answer that anyone
could ever have. Thy sins which are many are all
forgiven. Amen. Our final hymn is from Hymns
for Worship, number 150. Psalm 40. I waited for the Lord, my God,
and patiently did bear. At length to me he did incline
my voice and cry to hear. Hymns for Worship, number 150,
tune 92. I waited for the Lord my God,
and they shall be hidden there, and left to me He didn't cry. my voice and cry to him. He took me from the fearful pit,
and from them I reclaimed. And on a rock he set my feet,
establishing my way. He put a view. You saw me in my mouth, a God
to magnify, where he shall see, his hand shall bear, and on the
Lord rely. And this it is, the man whose
chest, upon the Lord relies, Christ, empty not, the proud
nor such, ? Has turned her sight to lies ? ? O Lord, my God, from
where Thee art ? ? Thou fondest Thou hast done ? ? Thy gracious
forbearance ? above all thoughts are gone. Thy tender mercies, Lord, from
me, how do thou not return? Thy lovingkindness and thy truth,
Earth, let me still retain. Dear Lord, we do thank Thee that
Thou art a kind and a merciful God, that Thou art willing to
pardon, and we pray that Thou grant us each that contrite and
humble heart, that we may approach the throne of grace, that we
may find mercy, and we ask, Lord, that Thou descend from heaven,
then Thy dwelling place, grant us the answers to our requests
that we may go on our way justified in thy sight. We thank thee for
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, we thank thee for the
righteousness which he worked out for his people and we pray
that we may be clothed with that righteousness and we ask Lord
that Be with us now as we depart from each other. We pray that
we may go on our way rejoicing in what thou hast done. Do plant
thy word as a seed within our hearts, that it may bear fruit
for thy honour and for thy glory. Do help us to meditate upon thy
word, day and night. And now may the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father, with the fellowship
and the communion of the Holy Spirit, to be with us each now
and for evermore. Amen.